Biblical cartoons and 1920s jazz will go hand in hand at the closing of the R. Crumb exhibit at the UCLA Hammer Museum.
These festivities will be occurring Feb. 4 at the Hammer Bash!, the closing party for Crumb’s exhibit, “The Bible Illuminated: R. Crumb’s Book of Genesis,” a display of his quirky cartoon works adapted from the Old Testament.
The works depict narratives from the Bible in the meticulous comic aesthetic Crumb is known for, with a tinge of humor in each of his panels. Case in point ““ Crumb’s interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve, which depicts a buxom Eve shaking hands with Adam as a rather hirsute God introduces them to each other.
Not only will the celebration be an arousing visual affair, it will also be a stimulating musical soiree, showcasing the tunes of the jazz ensemble, “Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys.” A medley of instruments, ranging from the mandolin to the musical saw, will accompany the music for the night, said Janet Klein, vocalist and band leader for the featured band.
“We’re playing early jazz tunes from the 1920s and 1930s,” Klein said. “And we’re going to be whooping it up.”
In honor of the R. Crumb exhibit, Klein’s band will feature Robert Armstrong and Tom Marion, musicians from R. Crumb’s band “The Cheap Suit Serenaders.” Armstrong, a longtime friend and colleague of Crumb, sees the music as a perfect accompaniment to Crumb’s aesthetic.
“Crumb has a deep passion for old music from the late 1920s, an interesting mix of old jazz, blues, jug band and string-band music ““ all kinds of string music, just rich music from American music history,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong, who is also an artist, said he is amazed by the expertise and precision of Crumb’s artwork, who remembered the work ethic Crumb went through in order to get the works historically and culturally accurate.
“I was just amazed at how he followed the progress of the Genesis inception every step of the way,” Armstrong said. “I am amazed at the workmanship and personality in every story that he drew and the research he did to get it right.”
Klein said that she expects many people to swoop in to view Crumb’s exhibit before it leaves Westwood.
“It’s a good opportunity to get a last glimpse at the Crumb Bible,” Klein said. “And from what I’ve seen of parties at the Hammer, I’m sure it’ll be a very lively and a very mixed crowd, with a really great mix of artistically inclined people from the city.”
Max Rain, a masters of fine arts student, supervised a Hammer Museum drawing class of models in the likeness of Crumb’s work. He said he sees the event as an opportunity for UCLA students to discover the Hammer Museum.
“It’s a fun way to get a lot more UCLA students going to the Hammer cause it’s something that is pretty underutilized, and a lot of people aren’t really aware of its distance,” Rain said.